When life, love, and rock and roll come together on the sandy beaches of La Union for music festival Summer Crush, expect nothing less than the crashing of lips, bodies, and waves against the shore, against each other, and against your soul.

Allow these three tales of love to take you away for an unforgettable weekend.

Ana’s life as a corporate warrior, graduate student, and girlfriend to indie rock band boy Miki starts to spin out of control, and she wonders if it is love that has to give. (You Only Need Reminding, Jay E. Tria)

Newly reinstated EG Project roadie Filipina Legaspi flies with her band back to the Philippines for Summer Crush, unaware of the emotional waves that engulf her when she sets foot in the beaches of San Juan, La Union. (Almost There, Tara Frejas)

Rhys has three problems: Arabella, the theme song with the Trainguy, and singing live for the first time—and now also on that list is Isaiah, sea-sweet Mango Rum kisses, and long overdue decisions she’s intent on avoiding. (Ocean Eyes, Six de los Reyes)

MY FEELINGS ARE ALL OVER THE PLACE BECAUSE I DID NOT EXPECT THIS BOOK WOULD AFFECT ME THAT MUCH.

I was looking for an escape. I am still drowning in the ocean of schoolwork and I feel so drained. But then there’s this book and its blog tour that I’m running late for (sorry, Ate Six, Ms. Tara, and Ms. Jay!) so I decided to read this last May 17.

I still had a video to edit that night so I had to stop reading when I was halfway through Almost There.

I continued reading on the bus.

You see, I commute from home to school almost every day, so riding a bus is part of my everyday life., but on the afternoon of May 18, it was so difficult to catch the bus I needed. I ended up standing on a jam-packed bus.

With no other way to kill time, I did what I’ve never done before. Read a book while standing on a moving bus.

It was a crazy experience, holding onto the seat in front of me with one hand and holding the book with the other.

AHHHH. HOW MUCH I LOVE THIS BOOK.

You Only Need Reminding by Jay E. Tria

Sometimes you need to be a runaway.

I’ve never met Miki and Ana before because I’ve never read Ms. Jay’s books. BUT MY HEART-

MY HEART MY SOUL MY HEART-

Ana somehow reminded me of Lux from Sounds Like Summer. And now I feel the need to do the same – go to a music festival to take a break from capital L Life.

I love how supporting Miki is, and how he’s just there – even when Ana is pushing him away.

You Only Need Reminding resonated with me the most, and I guess I feel this much for this story because the past few weeks have been so hard on me. I needed a reminder that I can make it, and this story gave me that. ❤

I’ll have to read Songs to Get Over You soon.

Almost There by Tara Frejas

I’ve never met the characters in this story as well, because even though I’ve read The “Forget You” Brew by Ms. Tara, I haven’t read Scandalized yet.

It was great to meet Fi, Gabe, and the boys of East Genesis Project. At first I thought Almost There would be about Fi and Gabe, but I was wrong.

When I realized who the star of the story was, I felt a stab on my chest. I didn’t see it coming.

Almost There tugged at my heartstrings because I know how hard it is to let go. I know how painful it is to give up and tell your heart “enough.”